


Never trust a frozen lake

by Belsmomaus



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, Bit of Fluff, Bucky is humble, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Tony really needs to learn how to say those magical three words, happy end, main focus is on Pepper and Tony, underneath it all Natasha is a mother-hen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-24
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-08 23:37:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,180
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5517344
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Belsmomaus/pseuds/Belsmomaus
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pepper shows Tony how to ice-skate. It doesn't go according to plan.<br/>Good to have friends close by.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Never trust a frozen lake

**Author's Note:**

> I got inspired for this by the Winter Angst Prompts (winter angst that ends ok) on tumblr, namely number 1:
> 
> Ice breaks under the character but they’re saved and there are blankets and hot chocolate and warmth.
> 
> This is what came of it.

** Never trust a frozen lake **

 

“You sure about this?”

Pepper pursed her lips in a cheeky expression. “I grew up in Connecticut, Tony. I think I’ve got enough experience to know when the ice is safe and when it’s not.”

She gave him a quick peck on his lips and a wink then she stepped away onto the ice and pushed herself off with an elegant stroke. The icy surface of the frozen lake was covered in a thin blanket of snow. And for a moment Tony could only stare. And marvel at the fact that this beautiful woman who slid and swiveled over the ice like an ice figure skater was his. That this perfect creature had chosen him of all people.

“You coming?” She stopped, her cheeks rosy in the cold. “You’re not planning on chicken out, are you?” she asked provocatively.

“Who? Me?”

He took some careful steps forward, trying hard to keep his balance. He hadn’t been ice skating since – well – since he’d been a kid. But how hard could it be compared to perform complex flying maneuvers in his armor?

Less than ten seconds later he learned that flying his suit and skating were two very – _very_ – different things. Before he knew what was happening his feet slipped and he crashed hard onto his rear.

Pepper’s giggles rang like tiny bells over the clearing until she appeared right in front of him, her eyes dancing with mirth. She almost became one with the background in her white parka, scarf and cap. If it weren’t for her jeans and blue gloves she could’ve been a snowman.

 _Or an angel_.

Tony huffed in indignation. “Very funny. Laughing at an old man like that. I could’ve been seriously injured, you know?”

“Oh, you mean that nasty bruise to your ego?” she grinned.

He made a show of his pouting but accepted her hand in helping him up gladly, nonetheless. As soon as he stood she slid closer and closed her arms around him.

“Here, let me kiss it better.”

His eyes fell shut as her lips pressed against his, soft and a bit cold, but so very, very sweet, when a sudden thought hit him and he pulled away.

“You think someone saw this?”

Pepper frowned. “What? You’re little display of grace?”

“Nat would taunt me endlessly. Not to mention Barnes.”

“You really think they sit at the window of the cabin with binoculars just to watch you ice skating in case they might get new teasing material? Don’t you think that’s a bit paranoid?”

He merely raised an eyebrow. “You know that they’re spies, right?”

She shook her head and grabbed his hand. “Come on, time to have some fun!”

And Tony relented, let her pull him along, farther onto the ice to show him the moves. And he forgot about the others and the cabin and their whole trip to get some days off, to just enjoy life and have some fun together. He forgot about Bruce’s excitement at the prospect of some cross-country skiing along the paths through the woods and Sam’s eager “I always wanted to try that”. Forgot about Steve being a bore and insisting on just sitting in front of the fire, reading, or at the window, sketching. Forgot about Natasha’s promise to make them a _real_ drink for cold days, not that pussy-grog Tony’d been serving. And he certainly forgot about Barnes’s whining about his choice of location: “What’s the appeal of snow and cold and ice, huh? I don’t get it. Couldn’t we go somewhere warm?”

It didn’t take him too long to get the hang of it. Well, mostly. His face was burning from the cold, but it felt good. Invigorating. And he got to spend time with Pepper, away from work or disaster or the press. It was just them.

“Just do it like this,” she finished an explanation and showed him how to move his legs. It seemed so easy when she did it.

Then she turned around and slid backwards over the ice right in front of him, watching him as he tried his best to mimic her earlier movements.

Tony narrowed his eyes as he saw the twigs protruding from the ice, covered in a dusting of snow. “Watch out, behind you.”

He should’ve known it right at that moment, should’ve realized that the ensemble of twigs meant that there was a bigger branch underneath the ice, fallen during a storm or cut down on purpose, who knew. But it was there. And he should’ve realized what it meant. He was a genius after all, wasn’t he?

He didn’t, though. He only put two and two together when it was too late already.

There was a crack and before he could stop or even shout the ice gave way and time seemed to slow down.

He saw her eyes widen in surprise, saw her flailing her arms as her balance was tipped. She broke in, fell through the opening that wasn’t there a second before. She screamed as the dark and ice-cold water enveloped her legs, her torso, grabbed for anything to hold on to, a look of pure horror on her face.

Then she was gone, the silence had choked off her scream although it still rang in his ears.

And just like that time sped up again, rushed back in and left him breathless. Left him hollow and empty, for his whole world had just collapsed.

He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think, couldn’t move, he just…

Blue gloves and a white cap appeared again, followed by a head, sputtering water and gasping for air.

“PEPPER!!!”

He stumbled, tried to stop, tried to throw himself flat on the ice to get close to her, to pull her out. _To fucking save the love of his life!_ But he’d completely forgotten about the blades beneath his shoes. The moment he moved he lost his footing, stumbled, tried to balance himself, but in the end he fell backwards while his feet slipped forward. Every last bit of breath was pressed from his lungs as the length of his back crashed against the hard surface of the ice, shortly followed by his head. Pain shot through his whole body, leaving him stunned.

_Pepper!_

He tried to move, to get up, to get to her, to breathe, but his vision was darkening.

_NOOOOO!_

He noticed a shadow, shooting past him. Something metallic was gleaming in the harsh winter light. There was a splash and a hand on his chest. A blurry blond face hovering above his own.

Then nothing.

 

 

Tony awoke with a start, the last picture of his dream burned into his retinas.

“ _Pepper!_ ”

He shot up only to fall back with a groan, scrunching his eyes shut against the pain in his back. And the headache. There was a hand on his chest, keeping him still.

And with a sudden clarity he knew that it hadn’t been a dream. The pain, the hand, the lake, Pepper…

His breath began to hitch and he started struggling against the hand, ignoring the pain. He needed to get free to help her, to…

“Hey Tony, it’s alright. Calm down.”

He blinked, focused on the familiar voice only to find Steve leaning over him, a worried smile on his face. It took him a second to realize that he wasn’t on the lake anymore, that he wasn’t even outside. He was lying in a bed – _his bed_ or at least the one he and Pepper occupied at the cabin – covered by his thick blankets.

“Pepper? She broke through the ice! Steve…”

The blond interrupted Tony’s increasingly agitated words with a reassuring squeeze of his shoulder.

“She’s alright, Tony. We heard her scream and… well, Bucky jumped in after her and got her out in no time. She’s fine. We were more worried about you to be honest. You hit that ice pretty hard.”

He couldn’t really grasp what he was being told. Barnes had jumped into the freezing water? _Barne_ s? Pepper was okay?

“I want to see her!”

He needed to see her with his own eyes, needed reassurance to actually believe.

Steve nodded. “Sure, but… please, take it slow. Natasha thinks you’ve got a concussion.”

He flinched as he moved to sit up. Obviously he’d either pulled some muscles on his back in addition to hitting his head or he’d bruised it at his fall. Either way, it hurt.

The blond helped him up. That’s when he noticed that he was wearing a pair of soft and warm sweats and a cozy, incredibly ugly, reindeer sweater. Things he’d definitely hadn’t been wearing before. Someone had changed his clothes while he’d been out of it. He really didn’t care right now.

Wincing every few steps he shuffled slowly towards the door, holding his aching head. Steve escorted him back to the living area. He spotted Barnes first. The man sat on the edge of the couch, facing the crackling fire in the fireplace, wrapped in a blanket and cradling a big mug in his hands. He looked a bit pale but other than that he seemed okay. His eyes at least were as sharp as ever as they turned towards him. A grin tugged at his pale lips.

“Look who’s back amongst the living.”

“About time,” he heard Natasha say who appeared a second later with an empty mug in her hands. She shot him a look with a raised eyebrow – “Nice sweater by the way” – then vanished in the kitchen area.

He stepped further into the room and finally spotted her. Right there, on the floor. She was sitting on the rug in front of the couch, her knees drawn up and completely wrapped in what seemed to be more than one blanket, soaking up the warmth of the fire in front of her. She was incredibly pale and he could still see her shivering.

“Pepper!”

She looked at him with shining eyes. “Tony!”

He wasn’t sure later how he managed to move his aching body that quickly but somehow he did it. He crossed the distance in record time and knelt down next to her, pulling her against his chest, closing his arms around her to never let her go ever again.

_I don’t know what I’ve done if I’d lost you!_

“Are you alright?”

She nodded, her cold nose rubbing against his neck at her movement. Nothing had ever felt so good like that tiny, seemingly insignificant touch. “Are you?”

And he couldn’t help but smile and squeeze her tighter. “I am now.”

“Alright, that’s enough with the mush. Would you stop interfering with my treatment and let me take care of my patient?”

Bewildered, Tony looked up to find an exasperate looking Natasha with a steaming mug in her hand. He knew her well enough to notice the underlying worry in her eyes and interpret her irritated teasing for what it was: caring.

Slowly – and still reluctantly – he let Pepper go so that Nat could push the mug into her hands – it was her favorite tea. He turned to look at Barnes and waited till their gazes crossed.

“You really jumped into the freezing water to safe her?”

The man merely shrugged, his long hair falling a bit into his face at the movement. “I’ve been in colder places.”

“Thank you!” And he meant it. He couldn’t put into words how much it meant to him. Pepper was the person that meant everything to him. She was the one thing he couldn’t live without.

But Barnes knew. Tony saw it in that lopsided grin, in that intense, knowing look in the former assassin’s eyes. And Barnes nodded. “Next time we do something like this, I’ll get to choose the location!”

It wasn’t a question.

But Tony had no objections whatsoever. He just laughed. And winced as it aggravated his head.

 

 

Maybe fifteen minutes later Sam stepped through the door, followed by Bruce, their equipment in front of the cabin and their parkas, scarves and caps at the wardrobe. Cross-country skiing had really been fun and Bruce was easy to get along with. He’d never had a chance to really get to know the guy before. They were still in the middle of some interesting conversation when they stepped into the living room and went immediately silent.

The others were all sitting in front of the fire, Pepper was huddled in a whole bunch of blankets and sitting between Tony’s legs, leaning against him while he held her close, his face pressed against the side of her head as if she’d vanish if he let go. Barnes was also wrapped up in a blanket, cuddling against Steve’s side, seemingly dozing in the blond’s loose embrace, while Natasha was putting more wood on the fire.

Sam took all of that in within seconds, narrowed his eyes for a moment and exchanged glances with Bruce before he finally put one hand on his hip and rubbed the bridge of his nose with the other.

“Alright, what did we miss?”

**Author's Note:**

> I wish you all Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!  
> Take this little fic as a Christmas present if you like.
> 
> Comments are highly appreciated (as always) ;)


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